Mirror Mask
by mochi rabbit
Summary: To go past the surface of a reflection to what lies within. Beneath the weight of guilt, Rukia is unable to come face to face with herself. Slowly being taken over by a phantom mask from within, Ichigo is trapped beyond the looking glass.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Bleach is the work of the maestro Kubo Tite.

**Mirror Mask**

**Prologue**

"Kaien-dono!"

Rukia awoke with a start, eyes snapping open even as she jerked from the aftershock of her dream. It took a few moments for the shinigami to register that the voice that had called out an instant ago belonged to no else but her.

She was no longer in the _senzaikyu _awaiting her execution. But somehow, the nightmares from the Tower of Penance had followed her home to the Kuchiki Mansion.

The girl padded softly across the_ tatami_ covered floor and lit the paraffin lamp on the dressing table. The soft glow from the yellowy-flame illuminated her darkened bedroom. As her eyes fell on the looking glass, she recoiled from the image of her reflection.

The light threw harsh shadows across her face, bringing forth vividly a haunted look on her face. And why not? Rukia did not need to look into the depths of her own eyes to find that the ghost of her past still lingered on.

Guilt… Shame…

Rukia tried to lift her gaze to meet her own eyes in the mirror. The pale, pale skin that had not seen the sun during her imprisonment encompassed the length of her shoulders to her neck. Her lips, her cheeks –just as ashen and bloodless. But, when she drew nearer and nearer to her large dark eyes, her gaze involuntarily slid away.

She couldn't do it. Guilt and shame… She could not bring herself to face it echoed in her eyes.

Absently, she tilted her head back and ran her hands down the arch of her neck. Fingers brushed the ridges encircling her neck –bruises from the red collar.

She thought of the battle wounds that had Ichigo, Renji and her brother constrained to the Fourth Division medic ward. The damage would heal, the healers had promised. But, the scars would remain, Rukia knew this.

Every mark a testimony to the pain she had caused. They would carry it across their bodies, and she would bear it in her heart.

Was there something wrong with her?

Why did every person that come in contact with her end up getting hurt?

All of them trying to protect her –when in truth, it was they themselves that needed to be protected _from _her. Isn't that right?

Rukia's fist clenched into her robe. _I don't deserve this. _

She didn't deserve to be rescued, unworthy of their struggles to give her a second chance at living. The shape of the Soukyoku released was that of a phoenix. Rukia thought it was ironic since the execution completely destroyed the soul. There would have been naught left to rise from the ashes. It had nothing to do with rebirth, taking you completely of the Karma Wheel. It wasn't baptism by fire. It was more intended to be the ultimate funeral pyre.

But if things had been different, could the flames truly consume the heavy knot of guilt in her heart? Rukia thought of her meeting with Shiba Ganjyu –anger and bitterness. She thought that some things could never be recovered even if she paid the price by going beyond death.

Shame… Guilt…

She could not even meet her eyes in the mirror. She could not even try.

Rukia slapped the mirror down on to the polished surface of the lacquer rosewood table. The fallen frame of her looking glass taunted her throughout the night.

* * *

Author's Note: Next chapter –**Riddle me, Rukia**. 


	2. Riddle me, Rukia

Disclaimer: Bleach is the work of the maestro Kubo Tite.

**Mirror Mask**

**Chapter One: Riddle me, Rukia**

Kuchiki Byakuya happened to be standing in the _karesansui_ garden when he observed a very odd thing indeed.

Through the _shoji_ doors left open to the evening breeze, he saw his sister, Rukia step into her room. As she passed the dressing table, her hand reached out and slapped the looking-glass facedown.

It wasn't as if she had actually taken a look at her own reflection and decided to see no more. She had gone through the motion without once turning her head in the direction of the mirror.

The following day, he didn't see a repeat performance of yesterday's strange behavior. But, as he passed Rukia's room, he noticed that the mirror once again lay prostrate to the rosewood table. It was the same the day after that, and the day after that.

Kuchiki Byakuya stared at the fallen mirror –wandering off the garden path in the process. When the gardener arrived the next morning, he dropped his rake, clutched his head and screamed in horror. Some complete idiot had walked right across the carefully raked gravel, utterly disrupting the zen! If he had any hair to speak of, the poor man would have been ripping chunks off in despair.

Then, one morning, the head of the Kuchiki household discovered that somebody had taken down the looking-glass in the bathroom. Kuchiki Byakuya suspected he knew who the culprit was.

He didn't say anything about it to Rukia. Although he thought it was a hassle –since donning the _kenseikan_ headpiece was an exasperating process without the help of a mirror. The reflection in the bath water, he discovered, did not make a good substitute at all.

That evening, as he strolled along the same pathway, he wondered if his sister's aversion to mirrors was something he should worry about. The nobleman was so lost in thought that he rather ungracefully tripped over a rock aspiring to be an island in the _karesansui _garden. He recovered his poise and gave the offending boulder/island an icy glare.

Byakuya shuffled off the path, coldly ignoring the throbbing coming from his stubbed toe. Tomorrow he would see to it that the gardener put a good layer of soil over those hazards and actually grow some grass and shrubs on that barren land.

Stupid rocks.

oooOooo

The Sixth Division Captain, leader of the Four Great Noble Houses sat at his desk in the office. Byakuya silently considered the many ailments among the young ladies of the noble families that involved mirrors.

There were those that could not be pried away from their reflection –displaying extravagant narcissism in the process. But, that was opposite to the case in hand. And there were those who stood in front of a mirror and deemed themselves too fat and not skinny enough. Then, they proceeded to starve themselves inches from death, throwing the household into chaos.

After a moment, he sent a silent prayer of thanks to _Kami-sama_ above that this wasn't the case in hand either.

Rukia was already painfully skinny from her term in penance before the execution fiasco. A bout of anorexia now would be disastrous.

The harder Byakuya pondered upon the matter, the more he failed to comprehend the situation. It was a riddle to him.

Perhaps it was a… feminine issue?

Yes, that must be the answer. Then, the next sensible course of action would be to request assistance from one of the _seireitei _women in the Shinigami ranks.

Although, Byakuya was well aware that the person most accomplished in all matters regarding mirrors was certainly not a _woman. _In all of Soul Society, the individual most well acquainted with a mirror had to be the 11th Division's Fifth Seat officer –Ayasegawa Yumichika.

But, he found it so distressful to be in the other Shinigami's presence. He didn't think he could suffer another round of facing the 11th Div. officer. For some unknown reason, the Shinigami had a tendency to stare at the nobleman, and say, "_Utsukushii! Utsukushii!" _–under his breath while chewing on his nails.

Byakuya made a personal, unvoiced diagnosis that it had to be a psychological problem.

And _not _Matsumoto Rangiku either. The 10th Division Vice-Captain was notorious for indulging in loud, bawdy _sake _drinking parties. He didn't want his sister getting ideas from that quarter.

Then, it occurred to him that bringing the matter to Unohana-_taichou_ would be the sensible thing to do. He held the 4th Division healer in high esteem. The lady could perform medical miracles –staying within religious boundaries, of course. Religion had certain unbreachable codes about bringing the dead back to life –exceptions made to the one Son of God however.

Yes, Unohana-_taichou _would be most suitable. Byakuya was well pleased with that decision.

oooOooo

Abarai Renji peeked at his captain over the mind-numbing report he had in his hands.

The captain wasn't one to fidget or show restlessness. Movement only when necessary and even then, each action completely calculated. It was in Renji's opinion that the captain was a control-freak and perfectionist. The man himself had even coolly said, " –_And what is so wrong with that_?" when accused of being so.

But, honestly, surely such a long duration of stasis was going beyond normal.

The _taichou _had been staring motionless at the same scroll for an hour now. It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't also raised his right hand, holding the 6th Division seal hanging in mid-air.

It was like someone had hit the pause button before _taichou _could approve the damned document. (Renji knew all about pause, rewind and even fast-forward buttons because sometimes, Renji, Ikkaku and the boys would sneak into the 12 Division and make use of the wide-screens to watch videos from the material world. Of course, these little illegal trips were made only when it was confirmed that Captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri would be playing mad scientist at the labs for the night.)

If _taichou_ didn't blink from time to time, Renji would have gotten up to tentatively prod the 'mannequin' pretending at the captain's desk.

Abruptly, Kuchiki Byakuya stirred –not noticing that he gave the vice-captain a start as he did so. (Renji hadn't jumped _that _badly in his seat.)

The camellia seal of the 6th Division descended with an officious thump on the document. When, Byakuya lifted it, there wasn't a mark on the parchment. He made an annoyed sound.

The ink had dried up on the stamp.

* * *

Author's Note: _Karesansui_ (Dry-Mountain-Water) –Japanese rock gardens.

Further chapters and a side-story to **Mirror Mask** (involving Renji's escapades to the 12th Division HQ mentioned in this chapter..) after completing **Rukia: My Life As A Rabbit**. Have a good weekend!


	3. Come out and play

Disclaimer: Bleach is the work of the maestro Kubo Tite.

**Mirror Mask**

**Chapter Two –Come out and play**

_Come with me. Let me spirit you away. If you won't, I'll take you anyway._

_

* * *

_

They should have maps, Kurosaki Ichigo thought, the sort with a round, red dot labeled 'You Are Here'. But, the boy reckoned that the confusing lay out of the sprawling Kuchiki mansion was part of its defense strategy. The invading enemy would be doomed to wander in circles, lost in its giant structure. If it was any consolation, they could not have picked a more scenic place to rest in peace. The gardens were immaculate.

Was this the fourth courtyard he had passed through? Or the fifth?

He finally found the wing he had been looking for after backtracking a bit. The _shoji _doors were closed. Was she sleeping? To his annoyance, Ichigo realized he had been nervously shuffling his feet. He stopped. Why did he have to give a damn about _disturbing _someone who had more or less invaded his bedroom, and claimed his futon closet as her domain?

Ichigo cleared his throat, and called out, "Yo, Rukia."

After a moment, he heard the muffled thumps of footsteps. The _shoji _door slid open. Sunlight from the courtyard slanted down across the figure in the doorway.

It was an unwritten universal law that the customary response in a situation like this required a sharp intake of breath by the male lead. Ichigo fulfilled that obligation –but, for very different reasons.

Rukia looked terrible. Her face appeared pale and drained. There was a certain frailness about the clearly-outlined bones in her hand gripping the doorframe.

"What are you doing here?"

_What are you doing out of the 4th Division recuperation wards? After the furious battles with the Seireitei Death Gods, after Captain Aizen dealt you the mortal wound that left you bloodied on the dirt._

The intake of each labored breath, the way he had still struggled to get to his feet to save her. Pushing against pain, and fatigue for her sake.

A hurt look flashed across Rukia's face before Ichigo saw her shields slamming into place. Her eyes cooled. An unreadable expression fell into place as she iced-over to conceal her thoughts.

"Whoa.. you look _bad_," Ichigo said loudly, as tactful as ever.

Rukia's mouth set into a thin line and she glared at him.

_Looks like her mood matches her appearance_.

Her eyes quickly scanned him from head to toe for visible injuries. Rukia said dryly, "Ichigo, kindly remove your foot from that pot. You're stepping on the 200 year old bonsai _Nii-sama_ brought in yesterday."

Ichigo took his foot off the tiny flower pot with its equally miniature occupant. "Oh, sorry," he said. Then, he stared thoughtfully at the shrub before looking back at Rukia. "So.. are you older than that tree?" he smirked, jerking a thumb at it.

Rukia shot him a withering look. Ichigo inwardly grinned in triumph. At least that was more like the fiery girl he knew her to be. He shrugged. "Bonsai isn't the usual gift for the ill."

"The _ill_?" Rukia repeated coldly. "I'm not sick."

She looked down at her feet. Abruptly, she raised her head with a smile that was too bright plastered across her lips. "Come on. Let me show you around the _Seireitei. _I'm granting you a once in a lifetime opportunity here. Be grateful."

Why was she using that false cheerful façade on him? Ichigo frowned, and stepped up to her onto the veranda. The floorboards immediately gave alarmingly loud creaks. He froze, waiting for the groaning planks to collapse beneath his feet.

Rukia burst out laughing at the look of panic on his face. Ichigo eyed the mirthful girl, and hesitantly shifted his weight from foot to foot, the floorboards protested noisily. He blew out a breath. "Whoa, your ancient floor here is in serious need of repair."

Rukia smiled. "It was _made_ that way, dummy."

Ichigo said evenly, "Made that way, huh? Hate to be the one to tell you this. But I think the contractors did a bad job on your floors."

She rolled her eyes. "Just think of it as an antiquated alarm system. No intruder can sneak across without alerting the household."

Rukia watched the boy bounce lightly on his toes. The floorboards gratified him with a _Creeak-squeak-a-squeak… _She smirked. "You're such a _child_, Ichigo. Are you done playing yet?"

oooOooo

Ichigo kept his back to the wall, and shuffled gingerly along the street. He wasn't exactly doing this because flattening himself against the bricks would render him less noticeable. He just didn't want to get surprised from behind –namely by the Captain of the 11th Division. He wasn't going to risk his life in the mortal realm and his soul in this immortal world for a death-match with Captain Zaraki.

Rukia raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Avoiding Captain Zaraki. I'm not mad enough to take up his offer for a rematch," he snorted.

If Ichigo had turned around just then, he would've caught the stunned expression on Rukia's face. _Could this boy have actually fought the 11th Division's Captain? How much more don't I know about you, Ichigo…_

The boy poked his head around the corner, and scanned the entrance of the Shinigami Academy. The coast was clear. He didn't think the crazy eye-patched captain was actually the sort of man who would fit into classroom scenery.

Ichigo stared at the imposing multi-windowed building. Like many of the structures in Soul Society, there was a touch of traditional design in the way the shingled roof curved at either end. To the young boy, Soul Society seemed like a giant _jidaigeki _movie set. Hell, he knew he was in a totally different world all together the moment his embarrassing Shinigami get up actually helped him to blend in the scenery of this period drama town.

Rukia tapped him on the shoulder. "This way, Ichigo. They said that Ishida and the others are at the outdoor training range."

Someone had set up the _mato _targets on the field. In the distance, Ichigo spotted Ishida, Inoue, and Chad with a group of Academy students and a few black-clad Shinigami. The news of the Quincy Archer's prowess with the bow and arrow had spurred some of the Death Gods to request for a demonstration.

Ishida Uryuu was only doing it because those sneaky, no-good Shinigami had pleaded with Inoue to intercede on their behalf. Besides, he was merely going to demonstrate basic Kyudo techniques, not Quincy lore. He would not have conceded to such a thing even if he still had his Quincy powers.

Ishida stepped into position, clad in the stark black and white borrowed robes. "Kyudo is the Way of the Bow. It is not completely about hitting the target," he said, his voice even and cool. "If you can correctly release the arrow from the bow… If you can find it in yourself to balance every aspect…"

He took in the weight and feel of the long bow. His left hand, encased in a glove, gripped the bowstring and arrow. The Quincy turned his face towards the target, and raised the bow over his head. "Windage, yardage, every movement made…"

In one smooth movement, Ishida swiftly brought the bow down and fully drew it. The Quincy marksman released the arrow. It flew across the range, in a passage straight and true for the heart of the target. It connected with a solid thump.

"Holding your position after the release is _Zanshin._" He reached for the second arrow, and continued, "In another sense, _Zanshin_ is a state of awareness –enabling one to even stop an arrow in mid-flight."

From afar, Ichigo laughed to Rukia, "Looks like Ishida is actually _giving lessons_ in your Academy. Let's get closer so we can hear what he's saying."

Ishida said calmly, "For example…" Then, the Quincy swung around rapidly. His eyes narrowed, sunlight gleamed across the edges of his spectacles.

Ichigo froze, "Hey, he's pointing that at –!"

The released arrow carved a path towards the orange haired target. In sheer panic, Ichigo caught the deadly projectile with his bare hands, stopping it inches from final destination. The class burst into applause. Ichigo exploded in a fit of temper.

The small audience scattered as the fuming boy made a beeline for the Quincy. Ishida coolly pushed his glasses up, smirking from behind his hand. "My fingers just… slipped, Kurosaki."

"You expect me to believe that sorry excuse? You were _aiming_ for the spot between my eyes! _Your fingers slipped?_" Ichigo raged, "Well, my fingers are going to _slip _right around your throat and –!"

Ichigo made violent strangling motions in mid-air.

Rukia hastily stepped in. "_Araa.. _Time to go! Say good bye to everyone, Kurosaki-kuun!" she insisted, in the saccharine sweet voice that had Ichigo labeling her as Little Miss Faker.

Ichigo's classmates watched as the petite Shinigami easily dragged the considerably bigger boy off the training range.

oooOooo

The strong wind ruffled the treetops, scattering leaves across the ground. Ichigo's robes whipped around his body as he took in the wonderful sight of the sunlight sparkling across the ­_Seireitei _Lake. He marveled aloud, "Whoa, this place is huge."

"What were you expecting –a lily pond?" Rukia teased.

The boy frowned. "Which genius did the landscaping for this place? That's impossible!" he stated flatly, pointing at a pavilion set on the tranquil waters. He eyed the step stone bridge that stretched from shore to pavilion. The distance was ridiculous in comparison to the standard crossings back home.

"Watch," Rukia said, with a gleam in her eyes.

Three elaborately dressed ladies across the lake stopped at the water's edge. The first daintily raised the hem of her kimono. Ichigo choked. She wasn't actually going to attempt that, was she? He really didn't feel like going for a dip in his bandages when she toppled into the lake.

She trod lightly onto the path, Ichigo prepared to kick off his slippers. Then, he stared in dismay as the line of three ladies gracefully made their way across the long step stone bridge. Not once did any of the elegant women bat an eyelid as they practically floated over the waterway in an amazing feat of balance.

As if they had sensed his eyes on them, the young ladies turned to look back at him when they reached the pavilion. Delicate fans snapped open to hide their tittering from sight. Ichigo blushed.

"They are _Seireitei _noble-born ladies. They've had some training," Rukia said.

Ichigo wondered if she was referring to the poise they possessed, or the outrageous flirting exhibit going on under the pavilion's roof.

She took a seat on the bench below a tree. The leaves threw a dappled shadow over her. A light breeze carrying stray petals on its current, brushed softly against her cheeks.

From here, Rukia could see the white tower of the Senzaikyuu gleaming in the sun. The Shrine of Penance rose from the treetops, starkly visible against the blue heavens. She shivered, remembering the small sliver of sky in her window to the outside world at the very peak of the tower.

Her cage. Her prison. The walls that pressed down on her from all sides. _Sakkiseki _stones that leached her spirit off all will and hope, leaving only an empty vessel for its final journey to the funeral pyre.

_Do you see that, Rukia? Through that window. The Soukyoku that will be used for your execution. _

_You can stare at it for the rest of your days… Think about the crimes you've committed…This is why the place is called the Tower of Repentance. _

"The crimes I've committed," Rukia repeated softly to herself. _Shame. Guilt._

Ichigo frowned and put a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Rukia? Rukia!"

Then, he stepped into her line of vision, eclipsing the white tower from view. She looked up blankly at him. Ichigo's brows furrowed with worry as he took in her deathly pale complexion, and the shadow beneath her eyes. He said shortly, "I think this is enough walking for you today. You need to rest."

Rukia's eyes narrowed, her hands fisted angrily. She shot back, "Rest? Don't treat me like a weakling, Ichigo!"

"Rukia, you've not recovered–"

"And since when do I take orders from you?" The annoyed Shinigami got to her feet, preparing to show him who was boss here by stomping off.

Rukia wavered. It began with a roaring in her ears, like an ocean drowning out Ichigo's voice calling her name. The ground tilted crazily beneath her feet. As if someone had picked up her world in one hand to spin it like a toy –the grassy land and lake flashed past, followed by the endless blue sky, chasing after the cold, white tower… Ichigo's anxious face. Then, there was darkness, and she saw no more.

Ichigo caught her before she fell, his arm embracing her thin shoulders. When she didn't respond to any of his calls, he swore with feeling. "Damn it, Rukia! I don't know my way from here to the 4th Division Medics."

He carefully shifted her limp body to his back. The alarmed noblewomen watching from afar gasped as the orange-haired boy, easily recognized as the _ryoka_ everyone had been gossiping about –carried the Kuchiki girl, and vanished into thin air. The faint cloud of dust created from Ichigo's _Shun-po _settled to the ground.

oooOooo

Rukia awoke without the pomp and ceremony of groaning and pathetic flailing present at her last nightmare. She half-raised herself on her elbows, and took in her surroundings. A damp towel, smelling of herbs fell off her forehead to her lap. She was back in her room in the Kuchiki mansion. She guessed that it was already late into the night.

She tossed the medicated cloth into the washbasin beside her, and pushed off the futon blankets. Standing up, the girl made her way to the dressing table. She lit the paraffin lamp, and adjusted the flame in its glass shade.

The bright flame flickered momentarily as Rukia's gaze fell absently on the looking-glass. Her eyes widened in shock. In the reflection of her mirror –stood a figure on the veranda of her room, visible through the _shoji _doors thrown wide open.

Disbelief had her turning around on her heels to see him for herself. Panic sent her heart drumming loudly in the silent night.

There was the tell-tale creak of the Nightingale Floors singing the presence of the intruder on her _engawa. Shun-po _brought him inches from herself when she turned to confront him face to face.

Rukia stumbled, trying to back away. Her thrashing hand sent the mirror, and paraffin lamp sliding to the floor in an almighty crash of breaking glass.

Rukia's eyes were still fixed on the visage of the face not unlike Ichigo's. One last glimpse of the bone-white mask with ferocious crimson-streaks before the lone flame in her lamp was extinguished. A smile like the devil's own, eyes like a smoldering flame in the darkness.

How can it be?

_Ichigo!_

_

* * *

_

Author's Note: Ichigo said that Bonsai plants were an unusual gift, it refers to the superstition that potted plants are considered as ill omens for hospital patients. The word (_nezuku_) meaning "to take root" is similar to the word (_netsuku_) meaning "to be bedridden". Ishida is a lefty. Hence, the _yugake_ glove on his left hand instead of the right.

_Engawa _(In Japanese architecture –the veranda surrounding a house.) And _jidaigeki _(a genre of film: period drama.)

Umi Kanshisha –I'm glad you liked the first chapters. Was worried since I was trying out something new. Because I was completing **Rukia: MLAAR **while writing this, the chapter just kept getting longer, and longer.. :P

Classiccomeback –Sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I'll be trying my best in this new project! A 'mind-numbed' Rukia, a variation of Ichigo's personalities and lots of research in Japanese customs involved.. This may just explode in my face. ;)


	4. Pavilion of Mist and Rain

Disclaimer: Bleach is the work of the maestro Kubo Tite.

**Mirror Mask**

**Chapter Three –Pavilion of Mist and Rain**

_If the reality of your world becomes unsound, it is only because your perception has been clouded by your hesitation to see the truth._

_

* * *

_

As her room plunged into sudden darkness, Rukia tried to break her fall. The palm of her hand slammed down on the floorboards and the shards of broken glass. Shattered mirror and glass sliced into her skin.

There was no time to think, no time to call out. One harsh gasp of breath as arms in the shadows enfolded her into an unexpected embrace. The whirlwind in the night made a break out from the Kuchiki mansion, stealing Rukia away for a hell ride through the darkness.

The wind roared in her ears as the _Seireitei_ grounds rushed past below her at a tremendous speed. She shut her eyes. He was going at such an extreme speed of _Shun-po _that Rukia thought; this is how it feels like to be caught in a tempest. This flight was out of her control.

When had they come to a standstill? It took a moment for Rukia to realize that he had released his hold of her, and she was the only one left clutching a fistful of Shinigami robes in each hand.

"Rukia," he said.

She froze. Eyes like a candle flame. But, this voice –she knew it well. Yes, this familiar voice. Somehow, it offered the girl enough assurance to extract herself from the black robes.

"Are you going to back away from me?" he asked, as if reading her next move.

"Ichigo…" Rukia said, her voice so soft, it nearly went unheard as a breath of wind ruffled his spiky orange hair.

"Why do you sound so unsure when you say my name?" He grabbed her hand, bringing her fingers up to the bone-white mask that half-concealed his face. "Is it because of this?" he taunted, lips splitting into an ugly smile.

Rukia tried to snatch her fingers back in horror. His hand closed painfully around her wrist once before he released his hold; a reminder that he was letting her go only because he willed it so.

The girl took a few shaky steps back and slumped against one of the many great pillars supporting the pavilion's roof. From the landmarks, she could discern that he had taken her to the Pavilion of Mist and Rain –the watchtower standing guard at the edge of the _Seireitei _Lake.

The soaring tower had been part of her Academy training. Recruits honed their surveillance skills, keeping vigilant for senior students who executed mock-raids when the suggestion of 'teasing those dull novices' became appealing. One sleepless night shivering at its damp and windy peak was worth it for the breath_-_taking scenery at dawn. Clouds of fog would roll across the grounds, transforming the land into a sea of mist. Then, the recruits would end their dusk to dawn stakeout by rappelling down the side of the tower into the gold-tinged waves.

Ichigo stared at his hands resting on the rails that wrapped around the pavilion's perimeter. "You're so frail. I could sense the bones through your skin when I carried you."

Rukia glared at him furiously. She didn't like the idea of him touching her and feeling anything at all –especially if he was going to come to the conclusion that she was a feeble female.

He looked up, slightly tilting his head to study her, as if there was something about her he found peculiar. A fleeting shadow of a smile on his lips, he said, "Even if I'm so…changed, you would still call me by that name."

He opened his arms, to serve as both a mockery and a challenge to her. "Ah, I didn't think he would tell you about me; because each of us has one of those," he said, drawing out his last words, savoring them, "–shameful secrets. And, I am his."

Rukia's eyes widened imperceptibly. A knowing grin tugged at his lips.

A memory of the man who had died by her hand, on her sword… His blood on her hands –his life. His blood on her sword –his death.

"A Hollow," Rukia choked out. Her throat had gone dry. Her eyes silently pleaded with him to deny it, to refute her words. She didn't want to accept the truth she had suspected ever since this waking nightmare had begun. "How?" she demanded, how had this happened?

"You were in danger. He fought for you. Got stronger for you," he said, not intending to accuse her, but merely to state the facts dispassionately. "To become a Shinigami again, to save you from Soul Society's execution," he paused, laughing huskily, "that mad man Urahara had a hellish method for it –either gain the form of a Shinigami, or become a Hollow. And for one moment before he wrested control in his hands again, he had a hole in his chest, a mask on his face –he was a Hollow. "

She understood what this meant. If she had a sword in hand, and a Hollow before her, she would have been duty-bound as a Shinigami to cut him down. Rukia closed her eyes, sorrow heavy in her heart. She said bitterly, "So, once more, it comes to this."

His eyes were brighter than before, as if delighting in her pain.

"It comes down to _power_. The power that he gains, even if it's for your sake –I don't give a damn, but that power will be mine one day," he said, closing his fingers into the palm of his hand, the illusory potential already in his grasp. "Now, the interesting question is –what would he do if the danger, the very thing that posed as a threat to you –is none other than himself?"

"So, is that your intention? That makes you nothing but a troublemaker," Rukia said angrily.

He leapt up, and crouched on the wooden balustrade, as agile as a cat. His perch overlooked a hundred foot fall to the ground below, but a veil of mist was already falling into place around the tower.

Rukia clenched her teeth. "Get down from there, _bakamono_!"

He looked over his shoulder at her, and straightened up with an arrogant grin on his face. The boy made a show of stretching his arms out like a trapeze on a tightrope. Then, he confidently walked down a length of the rail, displaying perfect balance and a smug expression.

Rukia wondered if Ichigo thought he could learn to fly before he hit the ground.

He stopped when he reached a pillar, and swung himself around it to come face to face with her. The bragging air about him pushed Rukia from annoyance to resentment.

"Worried about me, Rukia?"

"I really shouldn't. If you slip, it will be a very convenient end to all my troubles," she replied coldly.

He made tsk-ing sounds at her. "Be nice, Rukia," he sang, mockery in his voice. He swung himself around once more before hopping off lightly next to her.

"Isn't manners wasted on you? Or, do you mean if I said 'please' you'd actually stop all this?" she said cuttingly.

He laughed. It wasn't a very nice laugh. "Ask for something else. You might be surprised. I may do it –with the right incentive, of course," he said, blatantly assessing her from head to toe.

He reached out and caught her wrist, bringing her hand between them. For a second, Rukia thought he had read her yearning to slap him across the face for his rude tone earlier.

She hissed as his hands closed on the palm of her hand. The lesions from the broken glass and mirror reopened under pressure. Angry crimson lines bled, a slow rivulet trickling between their hands.

"I could heal this for you."

She returned his stare evenly, "No, thank you. I think I know Ichigo's aptitude for controlling _reiatsu. _I don't particularly wish to regenerate extra fingers or a thumb."

He released her hand and gently ran his fingers down her cheeks, mystifying Rukia with the sudden tender gesture. Before she could gather her thoughts, he lightly pulled her closer.

"Time for the Kuchiki Princess to return to her castle; perhaps your honorable brother already has the household up in arms," he taunted.

He propelled them into a windstorm of _Shun-po _for the second time that night.

oooOooo

Kuchiki Byakuya waved the anxious servant away from his side. If he could sit up in bed, then he could damn well sit up on the veranda without killing himself from the exertion. The Nightingale floorboards creaked as the servant excused himself –probably to bring another lamp on his return. All the lanterns on hand in the mansion were alight in this wing. Rukia's windows blazed with light, throwing shadows across the courtyard.

Earlier, the chambermaid had heard a crash in Rukia's room. Upon discovering the splintered mirror and glass on the _tatami_, as well as her mistress vanished without a trace –the maid had raised the alarm in the household.

The young lord was still recovering from the wounds he had sustained in battle with the _ryoka _from the mortal world and the lethal blow he had taken from Ichimaru Gin's sword in place of his younger sister. Unohana _taichou _had ordered him to rest well at home, but she had instructed him to check in at the 4th Division Recuperation Wards every so often.

The 4th Division lady captain had mentioned that the medic ward beds were all taken up –a tribute to the _ryoka's _prowess. But, the wise woman had probably foreseen the mayhem sure to occur if the lordly 6th Division Captain were to be cooped up under the same roof as the raucous 11th Division members. Hospital beds and Senbonzakura petals would fly.

The sharp fragments had been cleared away, and now, Byakuya waited for Rukia to return. Perhaps the lanterns in the night served as a beacon to guide her home.

It was barely audible –the rasp he identified as the scraping of the yellow shingles that tiled the roofs of most _Seireitei _dwellings. If Byakuya had not been keeping watch, he could have missed the silhouette of two figures in the garden.

He watched as the longer-limbed shadow bowed over the smaller, feminine frame. Even in the semi-darkness, there was no mistaking the bright hair from this distance. The boy brought his lips close to her ear –whispered words that he could not catch. Then, he left.

"Rukia," Byakuya said. He had not meant for the tone of his voice to be so sharp.

"_Nii-sama_!" she said, turning around towards the figure of her brother clearly outlined by the lantern light on the veranda.

As she stepped forth from the shadows, her brother's frown deepened. Her hand was bleeding, stains seeping onto her kimono. There was a dazed expression in her eyes.

"You're hurt," he said curtly. His gaze shifted to the blood smeared down one cheek. "Your face. Did you…?"

Rukia's hands flew to her left cheek, the cheek Ichigo had so lightly caressed earlier.

Byakuya's lips thinned considerably. Yes, they were finger marks, but too large to match his sister's. He questioned, "Rukia, what has happened here?"

"I don't know… I really don't," she replied softly.

oooOooo

A blood curdling scream echoed across the garden, bringing an end to the early morning tranquility in the Kuchiki mansion. The proverbial early birds took flight in a flurry of feathers as the senior gardener expressed his anguish.

It took hundreds of years, generation after generation of venerable gardeners to form the aesthetic bonsai tree. Watering the bonsai was said to be an art by itself. It took artistry, care, and repotting every spring. Such devoted men were said to have infinite patience similar to that possessed by the Lord Buddha. But, there was a limit to their tolerance. And once crossed…

"…and I shall make him eat caterpillars, Kuchiki-dono!" the little man raged before the sleepy-eyed Byakuya.

The plant, the shaping –in the semi-cascade style, the surface of the soil, the selected container (Square, or round? Such details denoted the expertise of the gardener.) –my lord, all painstakingly come together to _express _Heaven and Earth in one container!

A brainlessly blind idiot's foot was definitely not included in the meticulous plan.

You see what happens when zen is disrupted. Demons in the garden, that's what you get! Demons –with ghastly pallid faces and bright, multi-coloured orange hair running about the courtyards causing havoc on his precious plants. It was inauspicious!

Byakuya stared at the unfortunate bonsai that had gotten in the path of Ichigo's _Shun-po. _It was now doing an outstanding mimicry of a naturally toppled tree.

The nobleman was dimly aware that tray gardening required a myriad of tools –shears of all different proportions, concave cutters and wire pliers. Tools of the trade that could easily become dangerous in the hands of a wrathful gardener out for revenge. And he hadn't even taken _imagination and creativity _into account yet.

It appeared that it was time to send the gardening zealot for a zen retreat. Rukia wouldn't be very pleased if he was suspected of siccing the distressed man on her tangerine-haired _ryoka_ friend.

oooOooo

Rukia stood on her veranda, looking out over the courtyard as morning dawned. The sun marked the beginning of a new day. And inside herself, she felt the meeting yesterday mark the beginning of something else.

Before he had left her in the courtyard, he had leaned down close to her, his breath lightly brushing her skin, and he had whispered into her ear, "This isn't goodbye."

She had a feeling that the boy last night would herald the coming of another revelation in the future. The encounter with him had cemented her decision. When Ichigo, Ishida, Sado and Inoue returned to the mortal world, she would not follow them. She would remain here in Soul Society and train.

Rukia would fight to get stronger -the same way he had for her. Because he was in danger, she would fight for him. Get stronger for him. And, she would save him. She couldn't be weak and risk bringing danger to Ichigo by being his Achilles' heel.

He had said the words himself. _It comes down to power. _

_This isn't goodbye. _

Yes, when we next meet again, I will be ready.

* * *

Author's Note: Again, nearly double of the original plan. The draft is deceptively shorter. This is a different venture from the last fics., where I took sanity, bound and gagged in the rear boot for a joyride. ;) Any help in advising me of my shortcomings would be much appreciated! 

Kotay –I hear and obey your call to update. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Inky-Wool –Thank you for the encouragement! I'll try my best to pull off the plans I have in mind.

roxy-san –Updating as soon as possible (while still keeping my mind intact.)

rukiaprincess –Wow… that's too high a compliment! You are at risk of inflating my ego to earth-devastating proportions. ;) I'll try my best to keep it up!

chibi milktea –Yes, the "quite serious" plot called for a different tone. I'm still trying to tweak it to include silly stuff. Are my attempts by force causing a horrific clash?

Classiccomeback –Thank you for looking forward to this chapter! Ishida and his _Kyudo_ had me wading through step-by-step archery online –glad you liked it!


	5. The Cutting Moon

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to the maestro Kubo Tite.

**Mirror Mask **

**Chapter Four –The Cutting Moon**

Kuchiki Rukia pulled herself up to settle on the wooden balustrade. The girl turned back to look over her shoulder at the dark lake lapping the base of the viewing pavilion. The water in this corner of the _Seireitei _Lake was exceptionally calm. At night, the quiet pool was transmuted into an expanse of black glass. Reflected on the surface of the liquid onyx, was the crescent moon in a cloudless sky.

_Zangetsu. The Cutting Moon._

Rukia thought of the boy with the sword named after the sickle moon slicing across the sky. A curious sword strapped across his back; the blade seemed oddly incomplete.

_Tensa Zangetsu. The Heavenly Chain, Cutting Moon._

The severe, black _nodachi _sword that was his _bankai_. Rukia had first seen Ichigo with the long sword drawn in hand against Aizen's blade at the execution grounds. The fitting, black Shinigami robe was a deviation that threw back to his origins from a world outside Soul Society.

Twice, he had arrived with an unfamiliar blade to save her. The boy she had known in Karakura had carried a far larger version of her own _zanpakutou._ In this time, had he become a stranger to her?

The image of a bone-white mask that half-concealed his face, and completely twisted his identity flashed across her mind.

There was unknown strength within his sword and within himself as well.

_Zangetsu. Kurosaki Ichigo. As mysterious as the dark side of the moon._

"Rukia."

The soft interruption jolted the girl out of her thoughts. There was a bit of flustered scrabbling as Rukia tried to save herself from toppling backwards into the cold pool behind.

Rukia hopped down quickly from the balustrade, and tried not to look as if she had just been caught in a decidedly un-ladylike position by her brother. Kuchiki training frowned upon the climbing of anything other than the rungs of the social hierarchy stairs. It had taken the Kuchiki clan's senior retainer ages to break the _Rukongai_ girl out of her cat-like tree-climbing habits.

"_Nii-sama. _Good evening to you."

"Good evening, Rukia," Kuchiki Byakuya replied, placing his hands lightly on the rails. "The _Jigoku-cho _reported that your friends from the mortal world made it safely home through the _dangai_."

Ebony eyes flicked over to study the silent girl. "You chose to remain in Soul Society."

She met his steady gaze. "There is something I must do here. As I am now…" Rukia's eyes darkened. "If I were to engage in battle–"

_I wouldn't stand a chance against him._

Byakuya shut his eyes. A thousand blades flashed in battle, like a whirlwind storm of sakura petals. An opponent who claimed to have no name, masked by the face of a Hollow…

The Kuchiki lord understood his sister's unvoiced intentions, even if she did know it. After all, this would not be the first time she had faced someone dear to her heart possessed by a Hollow.

What sort of twisted fate had begun to unfold at her feet?

"I hear you paid Lady Shiba Kuukaku a visit," he said.

"Yes, I did. It was long overdue," Rukia replied.

Byakuya watched the tension drain from her shoulders. It was such a great thing to be forgiven.

She gave a brittle laugh. "Kaien-dono would have reprimanded me for taking such a long time to get to it. He was always such an immediate person."

A _Seireitei _Lord, a Death God in the Gotei 13. But his spirit was so free, it was bothersome. Shiba Kaien was truly such a man.

"He was a very important person to you," Byakuya noted quietly, and left it at that.

A smile flickered across Rukia's face.

_Kaien-dono. To me, he was…_

oooOooo

"The Vice-Captain?" Kotsubaki Sentarou said. "He could be–!"

"He _would _be at the noodle stall down Shinano Lane!" Kotetsu Kiyone said loudly, darting a quick look of triumph at her rival for successfully cutting in.

Kuchiki Rukia thanked her fellow Division mates. Sounds of their habitual squabbling followed her down the street. Doorway paper lanterns were lighting up one-by-one to welcome customers as the evening sky darkened rapidly. Sundown was causing the winter air to take on a chilly bite.

Delicious smells wafted out from the noodle stall at the corner of the road. On cue, her stomach growled in appreciation. Just as Rukia lifted a hand to part the curtains at the entrance, a voice carried out clearly from inside.

"…have a care for your reputation, Lord Shiba. Perhaps you're not aware of it, but if you would only turn around, you would see how the adopted Kuchiki girl is always behind you."

That condescending tone and disdainful sniff at the end of the sentence –it could only be a _Seireitei_ noble lady.

The 13th Division Shinigami slipped aside from the doorway. Rukia stood frozen at corner of the stall, concealed from sight by the panels providing relative shelter from the wind. She should turn around and go. Just leave.

But her feet stayed rooted to the ground.

"–following you around with puppy-dog eyes. You shouldn't encourage her so. Such talk involving two noble families is damaging."

Rukia's cheeks burned. Was she really like that? Did her Division mates think that of her too?

"It is worrisome as you are soon to be married to your fiancée, isn't that so, Shiba-sama?"

From between the partition, Rukia saw Shiba Kaien slam his _sake _cup down loudly on the counter. Rukia jumped. So did the woman who had been doing all the speaking.

Kaien's eyes were hard as he turned in his seat to face the woman beside him. Rukia could tell that the action strongly unnerved the upper-class gossipmonger.

"Lady, have a care. Your empty talk is getting on my nerves. I have heard more than enough. I bid you a good journey on your way out. Now, please remove yourself from my presence."

Rukia had never heard the Vice-Captain speak in such a formal manner before. The polite speech and blatant sarcasm ushered the fuming noble woman out of the shop in a huff.

The curtains swished apart, and the lady stormed past Rukia in her eaves-dropping spot without a backward glance.

The Shinigami recruit started to leave. Without looking up, her Vice-Captain said nonchalantly, "Kuchiki Rukia."

She bit her lip. _Oh, hell! _

"What a rude little girl you are. Do you think I'm stupid? Stop sneaking around behind there, shamelessly eaves-dropping. Come in here."

_Little girl? _Rukia's lips moved soundlessly as she muttered the term to herself. _How offending! _

A pair of wooden chopsticks whizzed out between the partitions to smack her cleanly on the forehead. Shiba Kaien, being the contrary man that he was, had just added injury to the insult.

"Oww!"

"Well, hurry up! Don't make me come out there in the cold to get you."

The girl stepped into the shop with a sulky look. The higher-ranking officer had cleverly maneuvered the situation around to resolve an otherwise awkward affair.

Kaien twisted in his seat to salute her arrival with his _sake _cup. "Yo, Rukia!"

Rukia stood at the entryway, head down. Silent. Waiting.

She should have known that such normality between them could never be. It was not the way of the noble families to be so informal.

Kaien reprimanded her loudly. "Have I taught you nothing? When your Vice-Captain greets you –you damn well respond, brat. Now, what do you say?" he prompted.

"Kaien-dono…" Rukia managed to squeak out.

"Okay. And then?"

"Er…good evening?"

He snorted. "Sit down."

Rukia plopped heavily onto the stool. So taken aback that she was unable to do anything else but obey.

He muttered grumpily, "Stupid kid. What were you doing? Standing outside in the cold for fun?"

The shopkeeper behind the counter smiled kindly at Rukia. "_Irrashai! _What will you have, little miss?"

The girl decided that she would rather answer that. "_Tsukimi soba. _Make that two eggs instead of one, please."

"What's this –you have some bizarre appetite for eggs?" Kaien questioned dubiously.

Rukia crossed her arms defensively. "What? I like eggs. Any meal with eggs is a good meal."

He dug his chopsticks into the bowl of steaming soba noodles before him and raised an eye-brow. "That's kinda iguana-like, y'know."

Rukia thought that was rather rich coming from him. Especially since the way he slurped that strand of soba noodle just then, so strongly reminded her of an overgrown reptile flicking its tongue out –in reverse-action.

The Vice-Captain tossed her a pair of wooden chopsticks. "So, how's he treating you?"

Rukia caught them. "Who?" she queried, fiddling with the pair.

"Big brother Byakuya," he explained.

She hesitated, fumbling with the chopsticks. "He… he is very gracious."

The girl split the pair. It broke apart unevenly in her hands. Kaien snorted.

"His Grace, the Lord Kuchiki, needs to learn how to loosen up. Chill out instead of chilling people with that _frosty voice of his_," Kaien said, finishing his statement with a haughty tone –a cruel, but nearly precise mimicry of Byakuya's aloof attitude.

Rukia's senior officer grabbed a second pair of chopsticks and cracked them cleanly apart before handing them to her. He waved at the shopkeeper. "_Ossan_, loan me the use of your grill?"

"Just don't set the place on fire, Kaien-kun."

Rukia watched him with a dumbfounded look as he proficiently reached for batter and ingredients behind the counter. "Kaien-dono, what are you doing?"

The youth grabbed a spatula and winked at Rukia. "Watch. I'm teaching you how to melt Lord Kuchiki Byakuya's heart!"

Kaien pulled up the sleeves of his robes as he worked. The leader of the Shiba House with the symbol of his clan's markings on his left arm, cooking up a storm behind a grill –it made a strangely contradictory scene.

The rising vapor from the frying grill caused a stinging sensation in Rukia's nose. As if sympathizing with her sinuses, her eyes began tearing up. What sort of culinary warfare was the Vice-Captain waging? Nerve gas in a marriage between wasabi and mustard sauce?

"_Okonomiyaki_,"explained her superior, cheerfully oblivious to her breathing predicament. "Cook what you like, the way you like it. And here's a tip: there aren't many things your _Nii-sama_ likes better than spicy food. I've seen him consume curries that could have set a dragon on fire."

Rukia's eyes dropped to the pancake frying on the grill. She suspected that the _Seireitei_ Fire-Fighting Squad would be involved approximately after the first tongue-blistering mouthful.

"Yoruichi tried to rig his meal once. Thought that it would be great fun to get a reaction out of the Little Lord Byakuya. She hid some tiny little green chilies in the centre of his _Onigiri…_" Kaien grimaced as he recalled the memory. "Never witnessed a prank with a bigger letdown than that. We thought it was Kuchiki's iron-will composure. But, it turned out he actually _liked_ his food that way."

Rukia watched her Vice-Captain deftly flip the pancakes into a take-away bag. The next unsuspecting victim who used the grill would have a gastronomic surprise waiting. The spicy juices would surely add an unexpected zing.

Kaien paid the bill and handed the _okonomiyaki _package to her. "Now when you're having a hard time with him, you know what to do." He added mischievously, "This is your bribe-ticket."

A chilly wind tugged at their black robes as they walked down the street. Rukia's teeth chattered. The warmth from the heated noodle shop had made her more sensitive to the wintry air.

Her Vice-Captain made tsk-ing sounds. "Why didn't you come out with warmer clothing?"

Rukia shrugged. "This is nothing. In _Rukongai…_"

"Rubbish!" Kaien said. "Whatabout _Rukongai_? Your winters are colder? Your summer days; warmer?" He stopped and said in a softer voice, "Just because you're from _Rukongai, _that makes you such a tough girl –that's what you think. Does that mean you don't hurt or feel the way any _Seireitei _resident would?"

_Renji, let's become Shinigami. If we do, we can live in the Court of Pure Souls. _

_Aa. We'll prove our worth to those sons and daughters of noble families. _

They had left _Inuzuri, _78th District of South Rukongaito seek refuge in the Gotei 13; a safe haven from the lawless life beyond the _Seireitei _walls. Rukia, Renji and the others had bonded to survive on their trail to find their family.

Now, she had a family to belong to. But, did that make her an aristocrat or a _Rukongai _street rat? And how was it that Rukia felt more alone in Soul Society now than ever before?

"Don't draw lines where there aren't any. Understand, Rukia?" Kaien said, clapping a hand on her head. "Nobody thinks that badly of you; as you seem to believe."

She gave him a tentative smile from beneath windswept and well-tousled hair. "Thank you, Kaien-dono."

Her superior nodded amiably and waved her through the gates of the Kuchiki House. "Good night, Rukia."

oooOooo

"You're home late, Rukia."

Rukia turned around slowly to face the voice of authority in the Kuchiki clan. "_Nii-sama…_"

_Why are you sitting in the living room without any lamps lit? _

Rukia tried to look as if she hadn't been trying to tiptoe silently across the hall in her _tabi-_socked feet. As Byakuya's eyes fell upon her tangled hair, Rukia's hands twitched. She regretfully thought that she should have combed it. But, the plan had been to sneak in undetected.

"_Nii-sama…Aah…_" Rukia fished around for an answer.

_Now when you're having a hard time with him, you know what to do._

Byakuya nearly took a step back when the petite girl abruptly thrust a packet of pungent 'something' in his face. The young lord hesitantly took it from her hand.

"For you," she said, awkwardly.

He perceived the hopeful look on his sister's face. Byakuya parted the package to take a look.

Rukia was suddenly very aware of how quiet the house was. Her nose tingled. And how incredibly over-powering Kaien's _okonomiyaki special _really was! The girl bit her lip as the Kuchiki lord took an inquisitive sniff of Kaien's concoction.

He was going to sneeze. Or the fire-engine worthy aroma was going to knock him out.

_Don't kill the messenger, Nii-sama! I'm just delivering Kaien-dono's…_

The man who could take anything the Scoville Scale had to offer, and eat chili peppers as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, quirked a smile and said, "It smells good."

* * *

Author's Note: The Scoville Scale is the measure of hotness of chili pepper. _Nodachi –_a katana whose overall length is approximately 6 feet_. Shinano –_the former name for Nagano Prefecture, famous for its soba noodles. Tsukimi soba (Moon-Viewing soba).

Much thanks to chibi milktea for reminding me about some notes I left out. According to the manga character profiles, Byakuya likes spicy food and enjoys taking strolls at night (which accounts for his meeting with Rukia in this chapter).. It's also true that Rukia's favourite food are eggs (and cucumbers..).

Classiccomeback –Sorry about the late update! I'll be fitting in the lighter-mood chapters as the story progresses. Thank you for letting me know your thoughts on it. Hope I'll be able to balance the heavy tone you mentioned. 

rukiaprincess –Time skip/gap where Rukia's training… ;) Well, I hope a flashback is alright. I'll be trying to weave this fic in with the events in the manga. May have to spin off into AU, so I don't spoil the story for people waiting for the anime to catch up.

NeoChick –My first 'fictional cookie'! –bites in happily..- I'm glad you enjoyed the gardener. Had to trawl through Zen gardens and Bonsai trees online. Finally used only a tiny portion of my notes on it.. (Must stop my overkill habit.)

eli6 –Thank you for letting me know about the jarring transitions in the storyline! It's great to know what points I have to work on. I'll try my best to ease the flow in the following chapters.

chibi milktea –Haha! I get what you mean. No Rukia mutating into rabbit-form here. The "intensity" between Ichigo and Rukia which couldn't fit in my fluffier fics is all being generated to the later chapters here. ;)


	6. Release the blade of my soul

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to the maestro Kubo Tite.

**Mirror Mask**

**Chapter Five –Release the blade of my soul**

"Aah!" Rukia cried out as she was tugged away from the doorstep of the Kuchiki House.

Her feet sank into a few inches of snow heaped on the roadside as she regained her balance. The drop in temperature last night had finally resulted in a blanket of snow in Soul Society.

"Kaien-dono… Good morning!" she managed to say while taking small running steps after her kidnapping Vice-Captain's larger strides.

Shiba Kaien led the puzzled girl to the _Seireitei _bazaar, weaving through the bustling crowd of bargain-hunters. When he came to an abrupt stop before one of the stalls lining the road, Rukia slammed into his back in a parody of a mini human-traffic accident.

"Go ahead, choose one!" he said, sweeping a hand towards the merchandise on display.

At his expansive gesture, the girl turned to look at the stall. Her jaw dropped and she forgot all about massaging the tender spot on her brow.

Her Vice-Captain's hands clapped heavily on her shoulders as he pushed her towards the colorful array of knitted winter garb. Woolly scarves, gloves, mittens and hats –all on hand. There was a Soul Candy character on each item, she realized, when the shopkeeper flourished a yellow duck-motif bobble hat to them.

Rukia dug in her heels and shook her head wordlessly at Kaien. He regarded her thoughtfully.

"Not used to receiving gifts, Rukia?" The tall officer smiled down at her. "There must be something you like here."

He was looking at her expectantly, so she ventured, "…they're all cute."

Kaien gave her a look. "Well," he said, with a small laugh, "I'm not going to buy you everything. So you'd better make a decision."

Rukia made a face at him and turned to stare hard at the zoo of Soul Candy characters embellished on woolly fabric.

Kaien's hand appeared in her line of vision as he reached out to snag a matching pink scarve and mitten combo. "It's got to be the rabbit."

The eager merchant beamed at them. "You've got good taste, my lord! That's the most popular character –Chappy, the Rabbit."

The Shiba clansman returned the grin with one of his own. "Thank you! But my impeccable taste is hardly worth mentioning in comparison with my _bargaining skills_!"

Rukia laughed inwardly as the megawatt-smile rapidly fell from the vendor's face to be replaced by a dogged look of a seasoned businessman. Kaien's eyes brightened. He loved a challenge after all.

oooOooo

The petite girl fumbled with the end of the pink knitted scarf. Her fingers fit snugly in the pair of mittens which had embroidered Chappy, the Rabbit smiling sweetly at her from the back of her hands. With her fingers trapped together apart from her thumb, it made maneuvering difficult.

"Cute, but clumsy" she muttered to herself.

Kaien, beside her, watched as she flexed her fingers in their new cosy home. "Even so, little girls look best in mittens." He fluttered his fingers at the clueless look on Rukia's face. "Makes their hands look cuter, don'tcha think?"

Rukia rolled her eyes at her Vice-Captain's outlook. "If appearing helpless makes them cuter," she replied dryly.

He laughed, and reached over to tug the scarf so that it covered her ears and skimmed over her nose. He took a step back to study his handiwork, head tilted thoughtfully.

"Your funny shaped hair does a pretty good job as ear mufflers," he said nonchalantly, trying to hold back the smirk twitching at the corners of his mouth.

Rukia ducked down to scoop up a handful of snow. But her Vice-Captain was already making his getaway even as her pink Chappy mittens dug into the white-packed ground. The petite Shinigami gave chase over the frozen landscape, racing after the figure ahead. Against the snow, their somber black Death God robes contrasted in stark relief with the brilliant white frost.

She came to a stop at the edge of an embankment, her intended snowball melting and soaking into her mittens. At the bottom of the gentle slope, Kaien grinned up at her.

The man was standing on the lake outside Captain Ukitake's office. Albeit, the water's surface had frozen into a mirror-smooth expanse of treacherous ice. He raised a hand and waved at her, fueling her exasperation.

Rukia pulled her scarf down below her chin. Her rapid breathing from running puffed out in tendrils that quickly vaporized in the cool air.

"Kaien-dono! That's dangerous," she called out, anxiously scanning the opaque ice-crusted lake surface. "If you fall, I –! Oh!"

So busy admonishing the other man, the Kuchiki girl had not paid attention to the edge of the embankment. The brittle ice broke under the weight of her foot and she made the rest of the way down the snowy slope sliding on her butt.

After a brief tumble, she finally came to a stop, sitting wide-eyed and somewhat stunned in the aftermath of her mini snowy-avalanche. Ice clung to her hair and powdered white against her black robes.

There was a brief silence, Kaien's mouth still hanging wide open in surprise at Rukia's sudden arrival to the bottom via landslide. Then, her Vice-Captain was whooping loudly on the lake, laughing at the sheer irony of her fall.

He firmly composed himself and offered a hand to help her to her feet.

"Not everyone looks good in the snow," he said, stressing his last few words, unnecessarily, in Rukia's opinion. He grinned. "Makes them look worn down, washed

out. But, I have to say, the snow makes you look brilliant, Rukia."

The embarrassed girl didn't know if the statement was meant to be a compliment or a teasing remark. She thought it was more likely to be the latter. One didn't clumsily trip, fall and land with her butt in a mound of snow, ice clumped all over; to be told that she was beautiful.

But Rukia did not see through Kaien's eyes –snowflakes on her eye-lashes, a flush from the cold in her cheeks –causing her skin to take on the translucency of flower petals. So she failed to understand his words were absolutely sincere.

The Vice-Captain watched ruefully as the girl self-consciously tugged the scarf up to cover the rising blush on her cheeks.

Winter chill, her breath a frozen white cloud in the air. But a warmth like summer sunshine in her heart.

Snow crunched on the ground beside her. Rukia looked up.

"Good morning, Rukia."

"Ukitake-_taichou."_

The 13th Division Captain was bundled up in a mound of sweaters and scarves. There was, Rukia noticed, two of everything. She smiled in understanding. This was obviously the work of Kiyone and Sentarou.

Captain Ukitake folded his hands and smiled softly. "Always choosing the path that leads to the most danger."

At his remark, the girl turned to follow the path of her Captain's gaze.

Shiba Kaien took a few running steps, and then did a brake-slide across the milky-white surface of the lake. The way he whooped as he glided easily over the ice was a testament to his blithe nature. Kaien didn't show a care for the possibly unsound ice below foot.

There was no guarantee that the lake surface would not break through, there was the risk of falling into the icy-cold water below. But yet, when Kaien waved cheerfully to them, they couldn't help but feel magnetized to join him.

With much ado, Sentarou and Kiyone raced across to partake in the fun. Captain Ukitake laughed, and Rukia took a step onto the ice.

oooOooo

If sakura was the symbol of transient beauty, then, Rukia believed, so was ice.

Even the most breathtaking silver-frosted winter landscape eventually acquiesced to the transition of seasons as winter melted into spring.

Alone in the 13th Division training grounds, Rukia released her breath. A soft sigh immaterial to regret or sadness. She sank deeper and deeper into herself. Catching and releasing thoughts and memories as they fluttered by. In her stillness, she expanded her awareness to include every single breath and heartbeat.

_As long as you're in my division, I will stand by you –even if I die. Remember that…_

A vista of snow. Or a promise, or a life…. Many things are not meant to be permanent. Due to its ephemeral nature, the passing of these things become more poignant.

_Nejibana. Uncoil the liquid heavens. Suiten Sakamake. _

Shiba Kaien's Zanpakutou had been devoured by the Hollow that fateful night. She had lost her own Zanpakutou in one desperate gamble to save the Kurosaki family.

But, now her Soul Slayer had returned to her, resting in the scabbard to the left of her hip.

She gathered herself. Her fingers flickered over the crimson silk-braided hilt of her Soul Slayer. Then, her hands gripped the familiar form, sure and decisive.

_Rukia, there are two types of fights. Given that we put our life in battle, we must learn the difference between the two. The fight to protect life…_

A metallic click as she freed the sword from the scabbard.

_And the fight to protect pride._

A ringing tone resonated in the air as she swiftly drew out the brilliant white blade. As dazzlingly white as the snow on a winter long past.

_Let me hear your name again…_

The Sleeve of White Snow. _Sode no Shirayuki._

Rukia released the blade of her soul.

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Author's Note: The title is a line that Ichigo repeats often in the opening of the anime. Would you let me know if the switch from the flashback to the present was confusing? 

chibi milktea –Yes, it's true that Byakuya likes spicy food. (Mentioned in his character profile, I think.) And he enjoys taking night strolls too –which accounts for his meeting with Rukia in the last chapter. Your review reminded me that I left out these little notes for the last chapter. Thanks for the help! And…-winks..- about the reviews, I'll try to win them by working on my plot and writing!

NeoChick –I'm glad you liked Kaien's characterization. I enjoyed his appearances in Rukia's past. This fic is for all the things I wished could have been highlighted in Bleach. Yes, I find all the small, odd details about the Bleach characters amusing too, i.e. Byakuya enjoying spicy food.

Henrika –Thank you for your wonderful review and also for adding this fic to your faves.! I'll try hard to live up to your expectations. About the descriptions and characterizations, I know clearly what I have in mind, but in the effort to make sure I don't miss a single detail, this fic is producing baby draft-documents at an alarming rate. ;)


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